NAND flash memory, as well as other types of non-volatile memories (“NVMs”), is commonly used for mass storage. For example, consumer electronics such as portable media players or cellular telephones often include raw flash memory or a flash card to store music, videos, and other media.
Some non-volatile memories, such as NAND flash memory, may have memory locations that include initial defects or can develop defects through use. Also, data stored in usable memory locations may suffer from other error-causing phenomena, such as read disturb or charge retention issues. Thus, to ensure that data stored in these memory locations can be accurately retrieved, “parity data” can be computed and stored along with the data. For example, an error correcting code may be applied to the data to generate such parity data.
Moreover, today's consumer electronics can often include an embedded system that controls the operations of the device and performs access requests to the NVM (e.g., read, write, or erase commands). When power is initially applied to the electronic device, the electronic device may scan through the NVM to determine the contents of the NVM (e.g., of each page of the NVM). For example, during the scan, the electronic device can identify the logical address associated with each page.